


A Breath of Fresh Air

by stormyemerald



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Guilt, Nightmares, Other, Titan Eren Yeager
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:49:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22428103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stormyemerald/pseuds/stormyemerald
Summary: Eren Jaeger sometimes needs a break, and sometimes needs to blow off steam. After a nightmare, he takes some time to himself.
Kudos: 45





	A Breath of Fresh Air

**Author's Note:**

> hey everyone! this is a quick short about Eren and his feelings. hope you enjoy reading! i have one more AOT short that i will publish soon as well as another AOT short im going to begin writing. also, if youre a fan of The Legend Of Zelda, I have a long fic in the works and will soon begin posting the chapters!

Eren shot up in his bed gasping for breath. His eyes blinked wildly as he adjusted back to reality. Another nightmare, nothing new. This one started just as the rest of them do, his fallen comrades’ deaths being replayed in his head while he is physically frozen in place, unable to save them. He had gotten used to this aspect of the corrupted dreams, it was when the nightmare took a turn in which his current friends and comrades perished in front of him, once again unable to move a muscle, as he watched the life leave their bodies, that he would never be used to.  
Eren caught his breath, and realized it had just been a dream, although that didn’t settle his anxiety much at all. He could tell that this one was going to linger for a while He clutched his head with his hands, and felt the urge to cry, however no tears would free themselves from the confinement of his eyes. He glanced out of his bunk window. The sun hadn’t risen yet, which indicated that it was extremely early in the morning. He turned his gaze to the rest of the room. His friends all asleep in their own beds. Although having physical confirmation that they weren’t in harm's way, Eren knew that he wouldn’t be able to sleep the nightmare off, the restlessness and the anger and the sadness too prevalent in his thoughts. Constantly, Eren lived in fear and guilt, having placed most of his previous comrades’ deaths upon himself. Any thought of his closest friends ending up dead sent a wave of anxiety through his body. He needed fresh air, he needed to run, he needed to scream.   
Eren ripped the blankets off of him and slung his legs over the bed. In a nightstand next to his bed, was his Scout jacket, the pants he wore with his uniform, and his boots. He swapped his pajama pants for the white ones and threw his boots on. He wore his usual shirt to bed that night, so he just kept it on while leaving the jacket in its place.   
Once he had his pants and boots on, he hurried out of the room quickly but quietly, careful not to wake his friends. He made his way to the equipment room to equip his ODM gear. He reached the room’s door and slipped inside, shutting the door quietly behind him, to avoid any risk of being spotted. He really wasn’t supposed to use the gear unless it was for Survey Corps operations. He also was really not supposed to use his titan power outside of missions, but that wasn’t gonna stop him. He needed to get out, feel the fresh air on his skin.   
Eren equipped his gear and shuffled awkwardly out of the room, trying to make as little noise as possible, which proved to be challenging as every step he took the ODM gear clanked at his sides. He rushed down the stairs and out of headquarters.   
The air was cool and bared a slight breeze. Eren rushed through the district and reached the main gate. Eren approached slowly and carefully until he realized the Military Police watchman who were to guard the gate were fast asleep, sitting on barrels and chairs. Of course, Eren thought. He realized that the biggest threat that could take place at the gate was a titan attack, but now that all of them have been eliminated, there wasn’t much to worry about.   
Eren walked along the bottom of the wall, giving himself some distance from the watchmen so that when he used his gear any noise it made didn’t wake them. Although if it came down to it in the worst case scenario, he wouldn’t really care if they did. He would gladly accept any punishment for sneaking out as he was just so desperate to feel the breeze on his skin and through his hair as he ran from the walls, to find something to drive his fist through. Sometimes he needed a break from it all, he needed to go off on his own and blow off steam, he needed some peace and quiet, and the only time he ever got any was the few hours he would sleep before he was woken up by a hellish nightmare, left to stare at the ceiling alone with his thoughts until the rest of his friends woke up and he would be distracted by them for the day. He was grateful to them for that. But that night, he was more restless than usual, unable to sit and wait until the sun rose so he could abandon his deep thoughts.  
Eren settled on a spot a few yards away from any patrolman and pulled the swords out of their containers. He got a solid grip on the handles and positioned himself to face the wall. With a squeeze on both triggers, the harpoons shot out from the gear and latched themselves into the wall. Eren squeezed them once again and he was pulled swiftly upwards. He repeated this process until he stood atop the wall. He took in the sight of the quiet night, how the trees danced as the wind weaved through their branches. Not looking back, he jumped off the wall and into the night. The breeze was fierce as Eren fell from the wall. He brought his hand to his mouth and ferociously bit it. Instantaneously, yellow lightning struck and Eren’s titan form took over his usual body. He crashed to the ground, landing on his feet. Only then did he give a second thought about how much noise he just made. That definitely didn’t go unnoticed, he thought, but he kept moving forward and into the night.

Eren ran from the walls, feeling the wind flow through the lengthened hair on his titan form. Adrenaline rushed through him as he remembered his nightmare. He pushed himself faster, to an unknown destination.

Eren found his way to a forest, far enough from the walls so that he can make as much noise as possible. Only then was he able to blow off the steam that his nightmare caused him. The images of his friends being brutally slaughtered in front of him flashed fresh in his mind. The memories of watching the Levi squad be swatted like flies as the life leaped from their corpses. They sent a surge of rage through his body. Eren screamed, his roar shaking the trees around him, and his fist was suddenly nailed into a tree so hard with a punch that it broke in half. His anger was far from quenched, and he ripped nearby trees from the ground.   
After he invested all his energy into carrying out the urges his anger caused him, he was hit with a wave of melancholy. Eren crashed onto the ground and sat looking at the steam that projected from his hands, his breaths short and rushed. His breathing steadied, his anger satisfied, as he sat in the grass observing his hands regenerate. He shifted backwards and leaned his back on a nearby tree. He tilted his head back and rested his eyes.   
Eren couldn’t tell how many minutes or hours went by as he was awoken by the sun starting to rise. Shit, he thought. His previous nonchalant attitude about consequences disappeared with his adrenaline. Levi is gonna be pissed and Mikasa is gonna freak out if she notices I’m not in my bed, he thought. Eren jumped to his feet, and started for the walls, running faster than on his way to the forest.   
Shortly, Eren arrived at the walls, and abandoned his titan form. He used his gear to scale the wall, climb back over to the other side, and lacking any gracefulness, he crashed onto the ground. A few of the Military Police was gathered at the wall, standing attentively on guard and talking with some higher ups, Hange and Levi included. Eren knew that his transformation wouldn’t go unnoticed. He took a detour and avoided the MPs and his commanders at all costs, for he knew he would be in huge trouble if he was spotted. However, something told him that he would be the prime suspect when Hange and Levi returned. Once he was a far distance away, he ditched his previous idea of stealth and soared through the air on his ODM gear to make it back to headquarters before anyone knew he was gone.   
Once Eren arrived, he sped through the halls, removed his gear, and quietly entered the living quarters. Luckily, the sun hadn’t fully arisen yet and he was able to sneak back to his bed while everyone was still sleeping.   
After all the energy Eren used during his personal excursion, he hit his pillow with ease, and fell back asleep.

Bonus: “Eren, next time you try to “sneak” out, please at least attempt to be quieter.” Armin said to Eren, putting the word “sneak” in air quotes.   
“Oh..uhh... sorry Armin,” Eren moved his hand to the back of his neck and scratched it nervously, “I didn’t realize I woke you up.”   
Armin looked at him with a small smile.   
“And next time... I’m coming with you.”  
Eren smiled back at his friend, surprised he wanted to join him in breaking the rules.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! have a great day :)


End file.
